It’s Buildex Vancouver time this week, and setup day 2 was today, and that means that it was time for Chewie to get down to the Vancouver Convention Centre West and set up it’s booth for the coming Wednesday and Thursday. The day was shorter than expected initially, but complications delayed what ultimately would have been a very quick setup by Chewie Media. While some things we could have done without (popup back-wall, I’m looking at you), other things not initially on a checklist for exhibitors became necessities. Here is a list of items that we found indispensible after assuming there would be no need of them.
Double-sided tape – While we made sure that our floor would comply with ALL of the Buildex regulations and with the Vancouver Convention Centre, it was quickly made apparent that the floor itself was subject to moving as we set up the items on top of it. This resulted in the floor moving outside of our allotted space and a lot of time spent readjusting the floor back into place. A simple role of two-sided tape, affixed to the borders for the booth made sure that the floor did not shift anymore and saved an hour of adjustment time today as well as an unknown amount of time readjusting the floor during the actual show due to foot traffic. Thank you double-sided tape!
Gorilla Tape – Yep, another tape product. Everybody always plans to bring displays and equipment and hook them up to power, but then the cables go completely forgotten throughout the planning until everything else is set up and there’s a giant yellow extension cable snaking its way across your booth. Gorilla Tap will tape down these cables and with a black finish should blend in with most flooring options. Regardless, it’s better than potential clients tripping over your extension cable… which leads me to my next item.
Extension Cord – You order the power, arrive at the booth on the day in question, and realise that your devices at the front of the booth cannot plug into the power outlet provided behind the booth; never leave home without one.
A Dolly – Common sense for larger exhibits, but even if you have a booth that is all transportable by 1 person, this does not mean that multiple people running to and from the truck is a viable option. Depending on the location, exhibitors may be forced to park their trucks fairly far away from their booths, and even though the items felt light at the beginning, near the end the idea of a dolly to carry a lot of the items at once becomes critical.
A Chair – Even if you don’t need to sit during the actual show, setup is a time where you may sometimes find yourself waiting for hours for a supplier or shipment to arrive.
And finally…
A Good Attitude – Everybody is tired, it’s been a long week for not just you, but everyone at the show. A good attitude can go a long way to just not causing any waves, but could also mean being treated with a little more leniency and understanding.
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